Feast on Holiday Specials at these Chicago Restaurants

November and December are filled with festive events and wintry delights at these Chicago restaurants and hotels:

THANKSGIVING EVE AND THANKSGIVING

RA Sushi Bar & Restaurant has a Thanksgiving Eve menu. On Wednesday, November 21, guests will enjoy food and drink specials including: $2 Hot Sake, $5 Specialty Cocktails like the Blushing Geisha and Dragon Bite, $7 Viva Las Vegas Rolls, $6 RA’ckin Shrimp and $3 Spring Rolls … and there’s more specials where those came from!

HANUKKAH

-Split-Rail, 2500 W. Chicago Ave., will present a family-style Hanukkah dinner of semi-traditional holiday fare paired with wine, 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4. Chef Zoe Schor’s special guest for the evening—her dad, will help her in the kitchen. Tickets are $70 per person; reserve at https://www.splitrailchicago.com/store/event/hanukkah-dinner/.

-At 20 East at The Talbott Hotel, 20 E. Delaware, daily specials during Hanukkah will include: Matzo Ball Soup; Grilled Beef Brisket with Romesco; Latkes with Apple Mostarda; and Challah with butter and truffle salt. Reservations: https://www.20eastchicago.com, 312.397.3633. 

CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS DAY

–Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, 221 N. Columbus Dr., will offer a four-course menu on Dec. 24 and 25, featuring Smoked Chestnut Soup, Winter Citrus Salad, guest’s choice of a main, family-style sides and dessert. $58; $22 for kids ages 4-12. Reservations: 312.477.0234.

–20 East at The Talbott Hotel celebrates the holiday with the following a la carte specials in addition to the regular menu: Deviled Eggs with Chili and Bacon; Baked Rigatoni; Double-Cut Pork Chop with Wilted Greens and Apple Mostarda; and Grilled Turmeric Cauliflower with Pomegranate and Labneh.

-All six Chicagoland Morton’s The Steakhouse will be open on Christmas Eve from 4pm – 9pm and Christmas Day from 2pm – 9pm. The regular menu will be available with specials including:

• • Côte de Boeuf Bone-In USDA Prime Ribeye brushed with Garlic-Herb Butter ($125 / 36 oz.) and Steak & Lobster Oscar with Bearnaise Sauce ($59). Available at Northbrook, Naperville, Reston, Rosemont, Schaumburg, Chicago Wacker Place.

  • State Street only: Steak & Lobster Oscar with Bearnaise Sauce ($59).

  • Seasonal cocktail Holiday Bliss: Grey Goose Vodka, Passoa Passion Fruit Liqueur, Cranberry juice, Lemon Juice, Topped with Prosecco $17.

–Baptiste & Bottle will be offering a special Christmas Eve dinner and menu with a Christmas Day brunch the following morning/afternoon. 

Christmas Eve Dinner:

• Special 3 Course Dinner + a limited “a la carte” menu

• Cocktail Cart and wine pairings will be available

• Price: $63.00 (++)

Christmas Day Brunch:

• Christmas Day Brunch Buffet, Dec. 25th, 11am – 2pm

• Reservations: https://www.baptisteandbottle.com

• Adults $69, Children (4 – 10 years old) $33 and under 4 complimentary.

• Buffet will include cream cheese cinnamon rolls for the table, Roasted Short Rib, Stuffed French Toast with apples, bourbon and pecans, Omelette station, Smoked Gouda Potatoes, brunch classics, Raspberry Cheesecake, Mini Apple Crumb Tarts, and more!

–Mastro’s (520 N Dearborn St) will be open on Christmas Eve from 3pm – 10pm and Christmas Day from 3pm – 9pm. The regular menu will be available with specials including: Chateaubriand, which is a A large center-cut roast of the finest beef tenderloin that Mastro’s has to offer and is best cooked medium rare to medium and is extremely tender and juicy. It is sliced and served tableside by your server, and served with Béarnaise Sauce and Peppercorn Sauce on the side. $115

Special Pumpkin Butter Cake: Mastro’s signature warm butter cake with the addition of real pumpkin and seasonal hard spices. Topped and baked with pumpkin pie spiced cream cheese and finished with caramelized raw sugar. Served with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, and homemade whipped cream.

OTHER HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS

–Repeal Day at MONEYGUN: Pay tribute to your good ol’ constitutional right to have a cocktail on the 85th anniversary of Repeal Day at MONEYGUN. Head to the West Loop bar that specializes in classic drinks and kick back with an 85 cent Temple Rye Old Fashioned in honor of the special day. For one hour only between 8 – 9 p.m. on Wednesday, December 5 raise a glass and celebrate the end of Prohibition with this special offering.

–First Friday Series Holiday Market Edition at Revival Food Hall: It’s time to get in the holiday spirit! Revival Food Hall teams up with The Hatchery Chicago, the non-profit food and beverage incubator dedicated to helping local entrepreneurs build & grow successful businesses, for a holiday market edition of First Fridays. On December 7 from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m., the market will feature local vendors such as Elby, Juicy Luzy Sangria, Kolossos Greek Olive Oil, Mera Bites, Moderne Beverages, Niloofar Persian Trail Mix, Pixie Dust Salts, Safina Ice Cream, Tomato Bliss, and WowChow offering an assortment of homemade snacks like chocolate rice pockets, trail mixes, ice cream, olive oils and hand-cured cooking salts. Get creative this year for holidays gifts with these homemade items for those hard to shop for folks on your list!

–Drinking and Decorating at The Ruin Daily: Gather your friends and get ready for the holidays at The Ruin Daily every Tuesday from November 27 through December 18 at 5 p.m. Put that artistic creativity to the test and enjoy decorating gingerbread men and sipping on The Ruin Daily’s tasty cocktails. The best part: you get to eat the final product! All supplies and ingredients are provided to make the perfect gingerbread man or woman.

–Reindeer Room Holiday Takeover and Holiday Market Pop-Up at Tack Room: This holiday season Tack Room, the equestrian themed cocktail bar located inside of Pilsen’s Thalia Hall, is opening its carriage house to welcome Santa’s reindeer. From November 30 through Christmas, Tack Room will transform into the Reindeer Room, a winter wonderland decked from head-to-toe in sparkling lights, ornaments and more. Guests can enjoy festive sips named after Santa’s reindeer — Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph — and every Friday night resident piano maestro, S. Joel Norman, will be there with jolly holiday tunes to sing along to. 

On Sunday, December 9th from 12 – 5 p.m., enjoy a shopping experience with local Pilsen businesses and vendors like Mestiza, Chi Boys and more. From locally sourced gifts like sugary treats and holiday souvenirs to goodies like jewelry, artwork and more, the Tack Room Holiday Market Pop-up will be sure to get you in the holiday giving spirit.

–Holiday Tree Lot and View’s at Lou’s Holiday Month at Saint Lou’s Assembly: Instead of leaving the comfort of the city to get your Christmas trees and wreaths, head to Saint Lou’s Assembly on Black Friday, November 23rd, as they transform the backyard patio into a holiday tree lot for the season. Celebrate the launch of the Holiday Tree lot in true festive fashion with cookie decorating and a make-your-own hot cocoa bar, as well as additional seasonal brunch specials. For added festive flair, Saint Lou’s has scheduled a visit from Santa himself. The Holiday Tree Lot will be up and running until Dec. 24, weekdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

One of the best parts of winter is heading inside, cozying up and putting on a good movie. What makes it even better is when the movie is one of your favorite holiday flicks. Head to Saint Lou’s Assembly, every week in December at 8 p.m. for Views at Lou’s: Holiday Edition. Starting on December 3rd, Saint Lou’s will be kicking off the movie series with “Friday After Next” with a special guest appearance from bartender Ariel Neal of Causing a Stir. Continuing throughout the month, enjoy all the classics like “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (December 10th),  “A Christmas Story” (December 17th), and concluding with the rom-com “Love Actually” on December 23rd.

 –Z Bar at The Peninsula Hotel, 108 E. Superior St., will hold an Ugly Sweater Party on Friday, Dec. 14, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.; no cover. Enjoy special cocktails, music by DJ Karsten Sollors and a ‘Best Ugly Sweater’ Contest. The prize: dinner for two in The Lobby, or the Chocolate Bar experience. Details: https://www.zbarchicago.com.

-Santa will stop by the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, 221 N. Columbus Dr., for Brunch With Santa, Saturday, Dec. 15, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. In addition to a brunch buffet, festivities in the Atlantic Ballroom will include a petting zoo, choo-choo train rides, a hot chocolate bar and photos with Santa. $50 for adults, $20 for kids. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brunch-with-santa-tickets-52166604719.

-Pastry Chef Julianna Westgor will unveil a gingerbread house display at The Dearborn, 145 N. Dearborn St., on Wednesday, Dec. 5. Enjoy her team’s handiwork—and order your holiday pie: Bourbon Pecan, Brown Sugar Pumpkin, Dutch Apple or Key Lime ($35). Order through Jan. 2, in person or by phone, 312.384.1242; 48 hours notice required.

-Looking to give back this season? Forum 55, 55 E. Monroe St., and Pork & Mindy’s, 1623 N. Milwaukee Ave., are holding Toys For Tots drives. Guests who donate at Pork & Mindy’s will receive one free order of Tots.

FOOD AND DRINK SPECIALS

–Mastro’s has a new holiday cocktail that can be enjoyed during their Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s or New Year’s Day services. Holiday Cheer is a festive mix of Tito’s Vodka, Kerrigold Irish Cream, Kahlua, Licor 43 and garnished with a cinnamon, sugar and graham cracker rim will debut 12/1 for $22 and will be offered through January. 

-Hearth, Wind and Fire Cocktails at The Promontory: With the Chicago weather getting bitterly cold faster than expected, head to Hyde Park and sip on one of The Promontory’s new winter cocktails. A recent 2019 Jean Banchet nominee for Best Neighborhood Restaurant, the venue’s creative drinks feature pumpkin seed milk, fig and thyme gin and pimento drams, to keep your bones warm throughout the chilliest time of year. Highlights from the menu include: 

• Pumpkin Chai: Starting with the light, nutty flavors of a house made pumpkin seed milk, the Pumpkin Chai mixes the bright buttery flavors of the Brugal Añejo Superior Rum with the deep, chocolatey flavors of Blackwell Jamaican rum. Chai syrup is then added, rounding out the cocktail with its bold, spicy flavor. 
• Figment In Thyme: If you’re not sure whether you’d like to sip on a sweet or savory cocktail, look no further than the Figment In Thyme, which features the herbal Letherbee fig and thyme gin combined with the spiciness of the pimento dram bitters. Lemon, simple syrup and egg whites are blended in giving the sip a rich, creamy texture with a beautiful and foamy cap garnished with a sprig of thyme. 

–Stan’s Donuts & Coffee rolls out three festive donuts, available through Dec. 31: Peppermint Bark Old Fashioned ($2.75), Gingerbread Stan ($2.75) and the croissant-donut Egg Nog Le Stan ($4.99). Stan’s holiday drinks include Peppermint Bark Hot Chocolate, Peppermint Bark Mocha, Gingerbread Chai and Egg Nog Latte.

-Lead Bartender Kirill Kuznetsoff at The Loyalist, 177 N. Ada St, mixes up holiday cocktails from an updated Hot Toddy (Bourbon, Fermented Pine Honey, Strega, Scotch and Lemon) to a seasonal eggnog with a twist. 

–Pork & Mindy’s Gingerbread ‘Nado ($6) blends vanilla ice cream, gingerbread cookies and caramel sauce. It’s topped with sprinkles, gumdrops and a gingerbread man, and available at the Bucktown and Wells St. Market stores through December. At Bucktown, 1623 N. Milwaukee, guests who eat their way through 12 Days of Sangwiches, December 12th through the 24th, can enter a raffle for free catering for 25.

-Every Saturday in December at The Talbott Hotel, 20 E. Delaware St., guests young and old can indulge in a build-your-own Hot Chocolate Station in the lobby, decked out with whipped cream, syrups, candies and, for the adults, boozy add-ins. $6 for kids, $10 for adults.

–Gemini, 2075 N. Lincoln Ave., will offer a two-course, prix-fixe menu ($36) in conjunction with ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo, capped off with a warm beverage and cookies to go.

–urbanbelly, 1400 W. Randolph St. and 1542 N. Damen Ave., is serving up a hearty December special: Pork & Cilantro Dumpling Ramen with Egg, Pickled Onion and Pork Broth ($13).

Local Stocking Stuffers

· Korean BBQ: Master Your Grill in Seven Sauces, urbanbelly chef Bill Kim’s debut cookbook, perfect for the homecook looking to get out of their comfort zone ($28). Buy it at urbanbelly, 1400 W. Randolph and 1542 N. Damen Ave. 

· Dearborn Gin, a collaboration between The Dearborn Tavern and North Shore Distillery. Buy a bottle at the distillery or enjoy it in a house cocktail at the restaurant (145 N. Dearborn St.) 

· Holiday Wine Four-Packs—all white ($45), all red ($70) or an assortment ($55)—at The Press Room, 1134 W. Washington, hand-selected by sommelier Anton Valkov to pair with traditional holiday dishes. Order and pick up through Dec. 31 at the restaurant, 331.240.1914.

· Gift Cards: Buy a $100 card for Michael Jordan’s Restaurant, get a $25 dining voucher, good for Jan. 1 through March 31. Buy a $50 Stan’s Donuts & Coffee card, get a half-dozen glazed donuts.